


A New Home

by Skyedestiny



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: And it hints slightly at her interest in Angel as well, But again nothing shippy really happens here this is just about Fred, But we're sticking to Fred's narrative so we don't get to see much of it, Gen, More so from Wesley's side, Really just slight interest hinted at between Wesley and Fred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 06:46:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10156565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyedestiny/pseuds/Skyedestiny
Summary: She looks up from scribbling on her notepad at the sound of laughter, a bright and warm smile on her face.  What’s she scribbling? Someone as brilliant as her, it could be anything: blueprints for a new mechanism, some new out-of-this-world theory, a solution to global warming… But no, this time it’s simply just pen markings.  She’s reacquainting herself with writing utensils – reacquainting herself with everything.  It’s only been a day or so since she’s left her room.  And sure the place was under attack when she did that, but somehow, it still felt welcoming.





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Originally posted on September 5, 2015. (But written a lot earlier than that.)]
> 
> Just a short drabble from when I was trying to get acquainted with Fred's 'voice'. It was more of an exercise - sinking my teeth into that world and that mindset, but I really liked how it turned out. It felt charmingly domestic. So, hopefully it's enjoyable to read!

She looks up from scribbling on her notepad at the sound of laughter, a bright and warm smile on her face. What’s she scribbling? Someone as brilliant as her, it could be anything: blueprints for a new mechanism, some new out-of-this-world theory, a solution to global warming… But no, this time it’s simply just pen markings. She’s reacquainting herself with writing utensils – reacquainting herself with everything. It’s only been a day or so since she’s left her room. And sure the place was under attack when she did that, but somehow, it still felt welcoming.

She takes a jellybean from the bowl on the counter and puts it in her mouth, eyes going heavenward as she looks all around at her surroundings. She likes the hotel. It’s so old and, even though it’s suitable for living in, something still feels decidedly cave-like about it. But in a homey sort of way. Both part of the modern and human world, and, at the same time, similar enough to where she’s been living for the past five years that she isn’t overwhelmed by it.

Sometimes she explores the upper floors. Some of them really need work. Or, at least, most people would think of them that way. Fred likes them just fine. She walks the rooms, feels along the walls, thinks about the last people who stayed in there. Normal rooms in normal houses tell stories as it is. Each previously lived in space retains energy from the past residents. Hotels are lived in by many people. What appear to be empty rooms to most are just the opposite to Fred – a cornucopia of energies, a convergence of time. It is a time machine. It’s like a history book that’s opened with all of its pages displayed at once. These dark rooms are buzzing and blindingly bright to Fred, the spectrum of proceedings of the past creating its own light.

She takes the final bite of jellybean from her fingertips and scrunches her shoulders, beaming with delight at her thoughts. She feels up for another round of hotel exploration. Oh, it’s good to be out of her room, to be out of her cave. Perhaps the hotel is just another cave, but it’s a lively one – a world of its own. It reminds her of Plato’s allegory of the creatures that live in a cave and are then exposed to the world outside of it. For them, the cave was their entire world – the only thing they’d grown up with – and to see that there was actually more to the universe than that was terrifying and startling. Well, it’s sort of like that. Fred’s always known that there’s been more to the universe than was ever written in history books or even astronomy books. She knew it was bigger than anyone had ever seen and she experienced that firsthand when she was taken to Pylea. But now, it was comforting to retreat into a smaller world – the world of the cave hotel, aware that there was more lying just outside its doors, but not being obligated to face it. She felt safe and warm here in this smaller world, and she once again found herself smiling at the ceiling, tapping her feet on the stool she sat on to some non-existent rhythm.

The laughter across the room is different now – it only sounds like two people laughing together; Gunn and Cordelia. A voice is missing. Fred turns around, wondering what’s happened to Wesley. He’s still there, but now he’s looking at her, his head tilted slightly, looking as if he’s trying to solve some difficult puzzle. They’re facing each other, but he seems to be lost in some sort of daze. Fred smiles at him and then coyly averts her gaze with a shy snicker, her eyes falling to her lap. The sound seems to startle Wes ‘awake’ and when Fred peers up through her lashes to see if his attention is still on her, she sees that he’s looked away. Abashed for assuming that he would be looking, she gives a bit of an embarrassed chuff and turns back to her notepad, ready to continue writing. But then she’s hit with the reminder that she was just scribbling and there’s nothing there to get back to in terms of substance. So she begins writing down the digits to pi.

Little does she know that he’s looking at her out of the corner of his eye, frowning because he’s sure he’s just made her feel bad. The three-person laughter returns, but one of its participants sounds distracted. Still, she continues writing.

3.141592653589793238462643-

The door closes. Angel walks in. She breaks into a grin. “Oh, you’re back!!” All the members of the cave hotel are present. The world is complete. Perhaps she can convince Angel to explore the upper floors of the hotel with her. Maybe he’ll see things the way she does.


End file.
